Concerns
by Puddycat
Summary: Something is worrying Edward. Post-series, EdWin, parental!RoyEd and just a little bit of Royai.
1. Chapter 1

I've been out of the fanfic scene for a while, figured I'd start with something new and relatively short before going back to the older fics. I will defintely be continuing Got Your Back, but I'm still very low on ideas - if anyone has any, they would be much appreciated. Anywho, this one is set a few years after the end of the series, when Ed is about 20. It's a little short, but I didn't want to go too far along in the first chapter.

Disclaimer - I'm not Japanese, and my self-portrait is not a really awesome cow. So no, I'm not Arakawa-sensei, but I do borrow her characters for abuse in non-profit products of boredom such as this.

* * *

Roy watched Edward stare off into space, a light frown covering the blonde's features as he chewed on his lower lip and gazed somewhere towards the right leg of the desk. His fingers were tapping against his legs, and Roy could see him bouncing slightly on his toes.

"Huh?" Edward looked up. "Did you say something?"

"Not for the last five minutes."

The blond frowned and looked down again. "Do I need to stay?"

"Is there something you need to get back to?"

"Sort of."

"Go on, then."

Once Edward left, Havoc strolled into the inner office and settled on the couch, followed by the others at varying paces. Hawkeye was the last in and perched on the arm of the sofa next to Fuery, the black leather squeaking as she shuffled into a comfortable position. No-one said anything for a while; instead, they all just stared at Roy and waited for him to speak.

"So did you work out what's eating him?" Havoc asked eventually, swinging one leg over the other and sliding into a slouch.

Roy shook his head. "I think Gracia knows something, though. I spoke to her yesterday and she said to go easy on him for a little while."

"Is that why you didn't bust his ass for not listening?"

"Yeah."

There was another moment of quiet as they all sat and thought. The sofa squeaked a few times as the soldiers shifted, and the sole of Hawkeye's boot scuffed along the floor as she swung her leg back and forth.

"Could it be something to do with Al?" Fuery asked. The others all looked at him. "He does get way too concerned if Al gets hurt."

"No, Al usually calls me if there's been anything serious," Roy said. "And if he'd been hurt enough to prevent him from calling, Ed would be with him."

"So you think it's something in Central?"

"We've ruled Al out, and if anything was wrong with Pinako then Ed, Winry and Al would all be out there with her. And Al would have called."

"Could it be something to do with Winry, then?" Riza shifted on the sofa, tucking one leg up beneath her and leaning on Fuery to do it. The younger soldier shot her a peeved look, but didn't dare say anything. "We've all seen what his worried-because-of-actual-danger-face is, and that certainly wasn't it."

"I agree," Havoc said. "Whatever's eating him is close to him. Not actually dangerous, though…"

There was a long pause before Roy cracked his knuckles and leant back in his seat. "So, are we placing bets now or later?"

(-)

"Good morning, Miss Gracia." Roy approached the front door of the apartment building as Gracia and Elysia emerged. Elysia slipped her hand out of her mothers' and came bounding over to Roy, stretching her arms up and grinning at him until he leant down, scooped her up and carried her back over.

"I'm not telling you anything," Gracia said as Roy put the girl down.

"I'm offended you would think that's what I wanted. I just called out a friendly greeting on my way to work, and you assume the worst."

"That's because this apartment block is at least a mile out of your way."

"Details, details." He looked at Elysia. "You know, you're almost too big to pick up now."

"I'm eight, you silly! I'm almost a grown-up." She twirled around and her floral dress flared out into a circle around her.

"Indeed you are." He looked back up to Gracia. "Where are you heading off to? I can walk you."

"I'm taking Elysia over to Edward so he can look after her while I run some errands – there's a teacher training day at her school."

"I could always-"

"There's no point, she doesn't know."

"I was just going to-"

"Good day, Roy."

"Bye-bye, Uncle Roy!" Elysia wrapped her arms around Roy's middle and squeezed hard.

Roy sighed, hugged her back and waved them off before continuing on his way. When he rounded the corner, he walked up to the waiting black car and got in the passenger side. "She's not talking."

"Damn it," Havoc sighed, flicking his cigarette out the window and starting the engine.

(-)

The office was quiet, apart from the sounds of pens, paper and the occasional heavy sigh. Roy had decided that the inner office was too stuffy and oppressive, and had moved out into the main room with his subordinates. They had cracked open all the windows, but there was no breeze to move the air around or put them in the mood for conversation. Even Riza had taken off her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair, and was fanning herself with a folder in her left hand while she signed off documents with her right. When the phone rang, nobody moved.

"Hawkeye…"

"You're closer, Sir."

"Havoc…"

"It's probably not for me."

"Breda."

"Make me."

"Falman."

"I'm the furthest away."

"…Fuery?"

"If you don't pick up, you'll miss it."

"Insubordinate assholes," Roy muttered as he shifted his position and reached for the phone. "General Mustang speaking… Put it through. Afternoon, Gracia."

The soldiers perked up immediately, all of them sitting up straight and putting down their pens to watch their commanding officer take a phone call.

"Uh-huh… What time? Of course. See you then. Take care. Bye."

"What was that about?" Havoc asked.

"No idea, she just told me to be at the apartment for eight-thirty tonight. I think it's to do with what's been bothering Ed."

"I want a full report by ten o'clock tomorrow morning, understood?" Havoc said, imitating Roy's command-voice almost perfectly.

Roy smirked. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Owing to me actually having some semblance of free time now, the next chapter should be up by the end of the week.


	2. Chapter 2

What's this? A timely update? Don't be absurd...

Disclaimer - I'm not Japanese, and my self-portrait is not a really awesome cow. So no, I'm not Arakawa-sensei, but I do borrow her characters for abuse in non-profit products of boredom such as this.

* * *

Roy knocked on the dark wood door of the apartment, the sound echoing down the corridor as his hand dropped back to his side. He heard the clink of a teacup and some footsteps before the door opened and Gracia was inviting him in. A pair of pale blue sandals and a pair of bulky black boots were already on the welcome mat. Roy kicked his own boots off and followed Gracia through into the lounge, where he saw Edward and Winry sitting on the couch. Edward had his left leg pulled up onto the couch and was curled over it; Winry was leaning against him with both of her knees pulled tight to her chest. They both looked up as he came in, but neither met Roy's gaze. He settled in the armchair opposite and frowned as he noticed Edward chewing on his lower lip again.

"These two need your opinion on something, and they need you to be honest," Gracia said. "Don't pull any punches." She headed into the kitchen and pulled cups out from the cupboards to begin making tea.

"We just don't know if we can do it," Edward murmured, shifting further back on the couch.

"It might help if I actually knew what this was about," Roy said. He was uneasy at how nervous they both seemed – it felt like there were eels in his gut, and his hands were getting twitchy. He flexed his fingers as he watched Edward try to speak several times.

"Something happened, and… We…"

"I'm pregnant," Winry whispered. Roy stared at her. "I'm pregnant, and we don't know if we're up to it."

The kettle began to rumble quietly as it built to a boil. Roy took a deep breath before he spoke. "I assume from your reactions that it wasn't on purpose. Would I be correct in thinking that?" He watched as they nodded and shifted around again. "Why don't you think you can do it?"

"Look at us." Winry glanced up at him with a bitter smile. "We're only twenty. We've both got big distractions with work, and neither of us had parents for very long so we've got nothing to go on there. It'll be a disaster…"

Edward moved slightly so his hand was pressing against Winry's leg. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, clearing her throat at the same time. Roy sat back and watched them for a minute while he processed everything and considered what Winry had said. He listened to Gracia bustling about in the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge as she put milk in the teas, and the soft clink of the spoon as she stirred them.

"Does Alphonse know?" he asked.

"Yeah," Edward said. "But 'You can do it, Brother!' really isn't as helpful as you'd think. And we know you're not one to sugar-coat stuff, so…"

"If you're worried about messing up in the first couple of months, of course you will." He paused as Edward and Winry glanced at each other and then over to Roy. "Everyone does. The amount of times Maes called me after a screw-up when Elysia was really little was unbelievable."

"And you didn't even hear about half of them," Gracia added as she set fresh cups of tea in front of everyone. She managed to get them all on the table without spilling any of them. There was a colouring book on the arm of the spare chair; she picked it up and tucked it away on the small shelf beneath the table.

"True. It won't go smoothly at all, but both of you seem to cope fine when things go wrong normally."

"Not when there's a kid involved." Edward sank down lower on the sofa. "We don't have any experience with anything like this."

"Most people don't before the kids start arriving," Gracia smiled as she sat on the other armchair. "Winry, do you remember when you were looking after Elysia and she broke her arm?" She paused and Winry nodded with a cringe. "You made sure it was supported, took her straight to the hospital and kept her distracted from the pain until we arrived. You reacted perfectly, it's why we kept asking you to watch her whenever you were in Central."

"That was just the one time, though," Winry said. "This is going to be all day, every day, and it's all going to be on us."

"Edward, you spent four years looking after your brother through an insane amount of danger. And Al's told me before how you took care of him after Hohenheim left." Roy sipped his tea before wincing and putting it back down. His lips tingled from the heat.

"He's only a year younger than me, though," Edward said.

"So? That didn't stop you doing your damnedest to protect him. Hell, even the homunculi knew you'd go nuts if they touched him."

"It's not the same thing."

"How isn't it? You've both proven yourselves to be responsible and resourceful on multiple occasions, and you're both more than capable of keeping calm when everything goes to hell. To be honest, out of all my subordinates, I think you're the best equipped to handle having a child."

Edward froze then looked slowly over to Roy. The General met his gaze and held it until the blonde spoke. "What about Hawkeye?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Are you nuts? She'd shoot the kid the first time it drew on a wall."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Edward's face as he reached for his tea and blew on it before taking a sip. Winry had relaxed her grip on her legs and was gazing down at her own cup. Edward passed it to her as he leant back and took another sip from his tea.

"How the hell did you get him so well trained?" Roy asked. "He won't even listen to me when I tell him to not slam doors."

"It's a skill," Winry said, ignoring the offended look on Edward's face. "So you really think we'll be alright?"

"Of course. You'll have to give up a lot of things, but if there's anything you're struggling with you have plenty of people nearby who would be more than willing to help."

"I'd have to hire someone to work in the automail shop. And Ed would have to switch jobs."

"I'd be more than happy to make a desk job available." He turned to Edward. "There would still be some travel involved, but nothing like what you have been doing. Just let me know what you decide."

Edward nodded as Roy gulped down his tea in one go. He could feel the warm liquid sliding down to his stomach, and nodded his thanks to Gracia.

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have an appointment in fifteen minutes I need to prepare for."

"Date with Hawkeye?" Edward asked. Roy gaped at him.

"Don't act so surprised, Roy, you're about as subtle as these two were," Gracia said.

"Hey!"

"What? Literally everyone else could see it. The only difference is you two didn't have to wait for that stupid fraternisation rule to be abolished."

Roy cleared his throat. "With that in mind, I'll be leaving. Let me know what you decide."

"Will do," Edward said. Next to him, Winry gave a joking salute.

After Roy had shoved his boots back on and left the apartment, he could hear discussion start back up inside. As he headed down the corridor, he heard Gracia mention that she had said almost the exact same things Roy had. He reached the stairs and the voices became too muffled for him to understand.

(-)

When he arrived back at his house, Riza was waiting outside for him. He bounded up the steps, handed her the rose he had bought on the way and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're very cheerful this evening," she said as he unlocked the door. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he said, smiling. "I just know who won the bet."

* * *

Oooooh, mystery... Do you think this chapter worked? Do you reckon they stayed in character enough, or did they go a bit out?

I'll be aiming for updates at least every other week, every week if I can manage it. It won't be a huge fic, at any rate, so I shouldn't get bored and abandon it like I have some others. And if anyone has any ideas for parental!RoyEd situations I could use for Got Your Back, I'd love to hear them.

- Puddy


	3. Chapter 3

So here we are again, better late than never. I got distracted by re-watching Brotherhood, I consider that a good enough reason to be late updating. Factor in recovery time for all the trauma-moments, and I'd say only being a week and a half behind schedule is actually pretty decent. Those feels... Urgh...

Disclaimer - I'm not Japanese, and my self-portrait is not a really awesome cow. So no, I'm not Arakawa-sensei, but I do borrow her characters for abuse in non-profit products of boredom such as this.

* * *

Roy leant against the wall next to the window, listening idly to Havoc and Breda's debate on breasts vs. backsides. He looked over to Hawkeye, expecting to see her ready to shoot but seeing her instead sitting quite calmly with one eyebrow raised and a smile playing across her features. There was a pen in her hand and paperwork beneath the pen, but she hadn't looked at it in a while. The General shook his head and turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"Yeah, but you especially need something to look at when she's walking away," Breda said. "Again."

"I'm sorry, how many dates have you had this past year?" Havoc asked.

"How many _second_ dates have you had?"

Havoc turned to Roy. "I'd have a lot more if it wasn't for you."

Roy put his hands up. "This past year's all on you."

"What about you? Chest or ass?"

"You already know the answer to that one."

"True. You?" Havoc turned to Hawkeye.

She raised her eyebrow even further. "Are you actually asking me if I know what he prefers?"

Havoc shook his head, stretched his arms up and arched his back, rolling his head as he struggled to get all the kinks out of his joints. His back clicked a few times and he sighed, slumping down in his seat for a moment before sitting up straight again and looking back over to Hawkeye.

"No, I'm asking for your opinion. Are you an ass lady, or do you prefer our dear General's ample bosom?"

"I'm not above shooting you, you know."

Havoc grinned and turned back to Breda, spinning around a few times in his chair while he spoke. As Roy pushed off from the wall and headed back to his office, a chorus of catcalls and wolf-whistles sounded from behind him.

"Now _that's_ an ass!" Havoc cheered.

"Because it's so obvious under the butt-cape," Roy said over his shoulder, pushing his hips to the side and striking a pose.

"Army showers, baby!" Havoc high-fived Breda. His expression straightened as he looked Roy in the eye. "Just don't drop the soap, Sir."

Breda turned to Havoc. "What would you give it out of ten? If Evelyn at reception is a seven."

Roy returned to his position by the window, smirking as he crossed his arms and watched Hawkeye following the conversation. She was resting her hand on her chin in such a way that her mouth was shielded, but Roy could tell from her eyes that she was trying not to laugh. There was a certain glint in them that she used to get when she found something funny during inspections that hadn't been there for a while. Falman and Fuery were staying quiet, keeping themselves out of the conversation for the time being even as they looked about ready to burst from holding back laughter. Fuery's face had taken on a pink tinge as he pressed his face into his fist, and Falman's eyebrows were raised as though this was his first time witnessing adbsurdity.

"Well he works out so it's gotta be pretty firm… Looks like it's in proportion, too, so a decent handful…" Havoc was gesturing as he spoke, groping the air in front of him as he tried to lean back far enough to see Roy's backside. "Gotta say, I'd probably give your ass a clean ten out of ten."

"So should we come back later…?"

Roy looked up to see Edward and Alphonse standing in the doorway, Alphonse desperately trying not to laugh while Edward just looked at Roy with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

"No, come join in the fun," Havoc said, waving them inside. "We're rating Mustang's ass out of ten."

"For reasons unknown to everyone else," Roy said. He smirked. "Though apparently I'm a ten."

"Bullshit are you a ten," Edward said.

"Mr Elric," Havoc began, his voice high and whispery as he fanned himself with a folder. "Are you suggesting that _you_ have the best ass in all of Amestris?"

"Oh, I'm not _suggesting_ anything." He pointed at Roy. "You got nothin' on me, boy."

By this point Alphonse was doubled over and struggling to breathe, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes watered. Roy couldn't resist.

"I don't know, I think Al might be a contender."

The younger Elric shot upright, his eyes wide as a deep blush tinted his cheeks. Edward was the first to crack up, a moment before everyone else in the office. Even Hawkeye was openly laughing, Roy noticed, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she watched the young men seat themselves on the extra chairs. Alphonse was still blushing when the laughter and cheers died down enough for him to speak.

"I'm sorry, _ladies_, but I'm taken."

"Aww, damn it." Havoc threw the folder down onto the table. "Break my heart, why don't you." He turned to Edward. "And let's face it, you were never really on the market to begin with… Why, world? Why are you so cruel?"

"That's sort of why we're here," Edward said, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'll only take you if you grow boobs."

"Not really in my plans for the future."

"I knew you didn't really love me…"

Roy could see Alphonse grinning and caught his eye. The younger alchemist nodded at him, and Roy found himself smiling as Edward began talking again.

"So, uh… Found something out the other day, thought you all might be interested…" The blonde hesitated until Alphonse nudged him; he smiled at his brother before turning back to the soldiers and taking a deep breath. "Winry's pregnant."

There was a moment of silence before the office erupted into cheers. This time Falman and Fuery didn't keep quiet, instead competing with Havoc for loudest shouts as Breda reached over and slapped Edward on the back. Hawkeye's eyes widened as she turned to Roy.

"You knew," she said.

"And you didn't tell me I'd won?" Falman asked.

"That'd just give it away," Roy smirked.

"Won what?" Edward asked.

"We took a bet on what was eating you last week. Falman got it right, but it wasn't my news to tell."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "You took a bet on what was bothering me?" He stared around at the soldiers as they nodded, none of them showing any hint of regret. "I have to admit, I kinda want to know what everyone else bet... And how the hell Falman knew... And _why_ you all bet on what was bothering me..."

"You really don't want to know what everyone else bet," Hawkeye said with a grimace. She turned to the others. "I wish you hadn't insisted on sharing them."

"It was just deduction and guesswork," Falman said.

"And we bet because it passes the time here." Roy frowned. "Though it's normally Falman who wins, so we share our bets to make sure he isn't cheating."

"I told you, it's all observation."

"And some damn suspicious luck."

"So why was it getting to you so bad, anyway?" Havoc asked. The excited hubbub died down almost instantly. "For a little while we thought something might actually be wrong."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "And yet you still bet. We sort of didn't plan on it, had to work out what we were going to do."

"Well, I hereby offer my services as a health coach."

"I'll be its alchemy teacher," Roy said.

Riza cocked her gun. "And I'll teach it discipline. It'll be like you're not even necessary."

"Except for diaper changes. No way am I going near that…"

"You people are insane," Edward muttered, shaking his head.

"You've known us since you were twelve, and you only just noticed?" Roy smirked and pulled a chair up to the big table, shoving some papers aside before turning his attention back to the brothers. "So when did you get back to Central?"

"About a week ago," Alphonse said. "But I've got exams coming up so I've been swamped."

"Haven't you been getting full marks in everything?" Havoc asked. "Surely you can relax a little?"

Alphonse shifted in his seat. "I don't want to break my streak…"

"You're such a nerd," Edward muttered with a smile. He leaned forward onto the table, resting his chin on his folded arms as Alphonse sat back in his seat and pouted. "It's still weird. This whole thing, I mean. It came completely out of the blue."

"You think you're going to be okay with it?" Fuery asked.

Edward glanced at Roy before focusing his gaze on the table. "Don't know. We keep getting told it'll all be okay, but… Guess we'll wait and see."

"Nah, you'll be fine," Fuery said. He clapped his hands together. "This is going to be awesome!"

(-)

"Well they all seem pleased," Roy said.

The evening was warm and humid as they walked to the car park, the heat causing waves of distortion to drift up from the ground ahead. The sky was burning orange in the setting sun.

"You're still doubting yourself, aren't you Brother?"

Edward shrugged, his boots scraping along the ground as he walked. "Can't help it." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared up at the fiery sky.

"While I realise that's one of your quieter and therefore more appealing personality traits, you're going to have to get over it pretty soon," Roy said. "You're going to be a _father_."

Edward grimaced. "Don't remind me."

Roy stopped and stared at him. "You're actually scared about this, aren't you?"

The Elrics stopped a few paces in front of Roy, Alphonse watching his brother with interest while Edward stared down at his feet and rolled a pebble around with his boot, hands still in his pockets. Alphonse nudged him, and the older Elric shrugged without looking at either of the other men. Roy smiled and closed the distance, putting his hand on Edward's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze before turning and walking towards his car.

"You'll be fine, Ed."

* * *

It's a little dialogue-heavy, I know, but I wrote the speech first and then couldn't find any good places to break it up. I got a bit carried away with the ass-judging... Let me know what you think.

- Puddy


End file.
